RAM
Remember high school... how you'd study for weeks and weeks for a test? Well, more like minutes and minutes. How you "studied" isn't important, anyway. What's important is that all the answers to your history test were stored in short term memory long enough for you to ace it... or, at the very least, not fail. Chances are, once you left class and went on to Phys Ed, everything stored in that memory space disappeared into the ether. Well, RAM [Random Access Memory] works in much the same way. It's where 'loaded' (resident) applications can be quickly reached. RAM can be read from much faster than other system components, such as a hard drive, CD-ROM, or floppy disk. As when the bell rings and you leave class, when your PC is turned off (or rebooted), everything in RAM will be purposefully 'forgotten' permanently. The slate is wiped clean! When you turn the computer back on, your OS is (once more) loaded into memory. If only real life were like that, I would never forget birthdays and anniversaries.
Redhat
Linux users know what "Red Hat" is, but for those of you sticking with Windows -- I'll fill ya in. It's a company that provides open source software for Linux. That's an operating system based on Unix (we featured that in an earlier GnomeTERM). Since the OS open source, anybody can do anything they want to it (at least, those with enough time and the technical prowess). Red Hat simply allows them to do things... simply. You know, like those ready-made fruit salad bowls. Who has time to chop up all that pineapple anyway? The company also has their own Linux distribution (which is their true claim to fame). If you're not interested, file this term under /dev/null.
Refresh Rate
"Refresh rate" is a term used to define how many times per second a display is, well, refreshed. The rate depends on the type of video card and monitor you're using, and can usually be changed in the display properties. That's really not necessary for most users, and sometimes you can make your screen go blank or become all distorted if you apply incompatible settings. The higher the refresh rate, the better. Remember that old computer and how the screen used to flicker and make your eyeballs explode? That's because of low refresh rates. If possible, shoot for 75Hz or higher, because this is much easier for your eyes to handle. It's not uncommon to see refresh rates of over 100Hz in some high-end configurations.
Registry
The registry is a newspaper in Des Moines. No, that's "The Register." My mistake. Think of the registry as an informant -- telling you what's attached to your computer, what options have been set up, and which applications will run at start up. Ya know, kind of like the neighborhood know-it-all who tells everyone on your block that you play with dolls. Okay, maybe it's not quite the same thing, but you get the idea, eh? You've most likely made changes to the registry without realizing it. Anytime you add or remove a proggie from your system, the registry is changed. Damage it directly and you'll probably have to reinstall Windows. Yeah, only experts should play with the registry.
Registry (2)
Arrrr, the registry be a fickle hellcat. You have to treat her nice or she'll turn on ya! Anyway, you've heard me talk about the registry before, and I'm sure you've heard me warn you a number of times not to mess with it unless you know what you're doing. But what the heck is it? The Windows registry stores hardware and software configuration information. It tells Windows what hardware is installed in your PC, what settings should be used when starting applications, and controls many other system-level functions. You can type "regedit" (sans quotes) in the Run menu and make all kinds of changes to your system. Of course, you can also cause Windows to suddenly burst into flames this way. Anytime you install a new application, configuration data is added to the registry. When you remove programs, the registry is also changed. Now that you have a better idea of what the registry does, tread lightly through this territory, and avoid leaving footprints on your way out.
RGB
What, am I trying to start the Cold War all over again? No, no... you're thinking of the KGB. I'm talking about RGB (Red, Green, Blue). That's the word for the day, kids. Why "Red, Green and Blue" and not say, "Lavender, Yellow, and Periwinkle?" Because the "RGB" colors can be combined in different ways to create any color in the spectrum. It's what you see on your display, ya know. Web pages employ the same system. However, one must reduce their spectrum if they want their colors to be visible on both PC and Mac. These browsers don't always see colors in the same way. I know, it's devastating, but you learn to live with it. In all honesty, it's 000000 and FFFFFF to me.
Rich Media
Oh, you mean like Time-Warner? No, that would be "filthy rich media." Well, I suppose (in theory) "rich media" can make you rich. Ya see, it's a term tossed around in Internet marketing for flashy, interactive ads. Like, say... "Punch the Monkey." It's animated and stuff... and you can hit it. Over and over and over again. Another example would be watching video clips from your favorite television show's Web site. It could even be something as simple as a banner ad that changes its appearance when you move the mouse pointer over it. Obviously, this form of advertising isn't limited to banners. Sometimes, though, less is definitely more. Macromedia makes dynamic, rich, and flashy products. Get it? Flashy? Don't tell me to quit my day job because I've already fired myself.
Roaming Service
"Roam if you want to; roam around the world." Oh, great, now that song is stuck in my head. Curse those B52s! But they are correct. You can roam if you want to. Roam around... the world. What happens when you're in Walawala, Washington but your local dial-up number is for Sheboygan, Wisconsin? What then? Well, if your ISP offers a "roaming service," you shouldn't have to worry. They'll let you connect to the Internet from outside your local area for the price of a local call -- or, at least, at a cost that is cheaper than a typical long distance call. If you travel frequently (like certain lions I know), it's probably not a bad idea to check with your ISP to see if they offer such a service. National ISPs should have no problems in this respect. You may also consider obtaining a free ISP account (although who knows how much longer those are going to last). If you'd rather spend your money on local companies without a distant reach, consider calling ahead to the hotel(s) to see if they will provide a connected computer or a connection for your own laptop. It's wise to double-check with your cell provider to make sure their service is "roam" friendly, too. We hate unexpected charges 'round these parts.
Rollover
Take the mouse pointer and put it on one of the links in the Lockergnome sidebar. Notice how the link changes color? That's an example of a rollover (also referred to as a "mouseover"). This term basically defines any text, image, or graphic that changes when you move the mouse pointer over it. It's a cool effect, and it's also a nice way to let the user know that yes, this text is indeed clickable. Go on... click me. You'll need JavaScript to create these funderful doo-dads. If your graphic features a bald man, you can use a "combover." For flatter graphics, use a "steamrollover."
ROM
Although it could be mistaken for the British pronunciation of RAM, ROM isn't RAM at all. Not exactly, anyway. And we're not talking about Quark's brother, either. It actually stands for "Read-Only Memory" and pretty much means what it says. You can't alter it in any way; you can only read it. It's the hardware's way of saying: "Look, but don't touch." Let's say you have Paint Shop Pro on CD-ROM, and you try to copy Tetris from your Desktop to the PSP CD-ROM. In all likelihood, you'll get a message telling you that you cannot write to the CD-ROM. Why? Because it's read-only, that's why. A more retro example would be the act of copying from a vinyl record to a cassette. If you had Pac-Man Fever on vinyl (and who didn't?) and wanted to put it on a blank tape, you could do that. The tape would allow itself to be "written" to. However, if you tried to put the contents of a tape onto a vinyl record, you'd fail miserably. ROM allows your computer to "boot up" every time; unlike RAM, it is not lost when you shut down the system. Many small handheld / portable digital devices use ROM chips for this reason. Now that I think about it, you might want to save all your CD-ROMs. They may become nostalgic items one day. You heard it here first.
Roundtripping
"Send me that Word document as a PDF, please." "Fine, but when you send it back, be sure to convert it back to Microsoft Word for me." Why the constant flip-flopping? Because people can be difficult when it comes to dealing with document formats. It's difficult to view a document if you don't the proper viewer, right? Hence, the conversion. When a document is saved in a new format, and then converted back to its original format, that's what we call roundtripping. You know, like taking a "round trip" on an airplane and ending up back where you were? Exactly. I've been to Las Vegas, but now I have to convert back to Iowan. Not quite the same, but... something always gets lost in the translation. As long as it's not my luggage, I'm happy.
